Special Reports

Bennet, Gardner see different paths to immigration reform

Kyle Hirakata, 13, of Rocky Ford, shakes hands with Sen. Michael Bennet during a talk on on immigration reform hosted by the University of Denver on June 30. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post) (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

But the two were deeply divided in a batch of town hall meetings about how to get that accomplished.

"I don't know how you can be a capitalist and not support this bill," Bennet told local leaders gathered at Morgan Community College here as he asked for advice on how to get the Senate-passed immigration bill through the House of Representatives.

David Foy, a Washington County commissioner, raised his hand.

"What seems to be one of the deals ... against it is carte blanche amnesty," he said.

Bennet told Foy the Senate bill wasn't amnesty and he wanted people to get away from loaded language like that. He noted that if undocumented immigrants "do a bunch of really tough things" over several years like learn English and keep a job, they can get a green card.

"And," he noted, "you'll be at the end of the line."

Sixty miles down the road in Gardner's home town of Yuma, a similar conversation was taking place with a handful of DREAMers — people brought into the country illegally by their parents. One of them was Jose Muñoz, a 25-year-old employee at Super 8 in Brush, who asked Gardner through a moderator on whether this group should be eligible for a path to citizenship.

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Gardner declined to answer the question directly, saying he wanted to see the border secured first and certified by an independent entity like the General Accountability Office before starting conversations about the 11 million people living illegally in the United States.

"The most important thing is to start with border security and border enforcement," Gardner said in response to a question. "And then we can address the 11 million people who are here right now."

Muñoz, who graduated from an Eastern Plains high school and has attended classes at Northeastern Junior College, was unimpressed. He said he'd like to continue with school, but because he doesn't have a Social Security number, he can't access financial aid and while in junior college he didn't qualify for in-state tuition.

Gardner confessed disappointment with his own GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives for not moving more urgently on immigration reform, particularly before the five-week August recess. He said he wanted to prove to his constituents that the House can "walk the walk" after the Senate passed its comprehensive bill earlier this summer.

Gardner said he used to favor a bigger approach, but now prefers smaller, bite-size bills on border security and a guest-worker program because that's the only way his colleagues will pass it.

The Senate immigration bill would help rural Colorado because it creates a new temporary worker program and, for the first time, helps the dairy industry because the program is applied year-round, not just for seasonal, summer labor.

Gardner also faced heat for the dozens of House votes on defunding or disbanding Obamacare. Two constituents told him they believed it was a waste of time because President Barack Obama would never sign it into law.

Gardner said he believed the votes were important on principle.

"It's a waste of time," said Mary Yonts, who drove to Yuma from Longmont for the hour-long meeting. "You have other things to do."

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